Travelogue: Celebrate Presidents Day with trip to Lincoln Museum

Weekly travel rail, with items on the Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield, travel tips and more.

America the Beautiful

Quick guide to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Why go: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill., is the most-visited state-controlled presidential museum in the U.S. – and no wonder. It combines traditional scholarship with modern technology and showmanship, and the Lincoln Group of New York awarded it for "being the greatest achievement in America to encourage the study and appreciation of Abraham Lincoln and the times in which he lived." In about six months, the museum generated about $1 million, and in less than 21 months, it received 1 million visitors.

More about the museum: The museum contains full-immersion "you-are-there" replicas of Lincoln's boyhood home, areas of the White House, the presidential box at Ford's Theater and the settings of key events in Lincoln's life, as well as pictures, artifacts and other memorabilia. Original artifacts are changed from time to time, but the collection usually includes items like the original hand-written Gettysburg Address, a signed Emancipation Proclamation, his glasses and shaving mirror, Mary Todd Lincoln's music box, items from her White House china, her wedding dress and more.

More about the library: The Lincoln Presidential Library is a research library which houses books, papers and artifacts related to Lincoln's life and the American Civil War. In addition to the works associated with Lincoln and his era, the museum serves as a premier repository of books, pamphlets, manuscripts and other materials of historical interest pertaining to the history of Illinois. While the library is open to the public, its rare collection is non-circulating (i.e. you can’t check out the materials).

Getting there: Most major airlines fly into Springfield. The airport is about four miles from the Lincoln Museum (212 North Sixth Street).

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Cost: The library is free. The museum is $7.50 for adults; $5.50 for seniors, military members and students; and $3.50 for children.

If you’re flying out of Philadelphia International Airport, be careful looking out the plane window – one family upset with the Federal Aviation Administration’s new flight route has expressed their displeasure with a sign on their roof that says, “F*** U FAA.” According to news reports, the family tried to contact the FAA but couldn’t, so they put up the sign.

Number to Know: 15

Number of children who will win an 11-day trip to Australia through National Geographic’s annual Hands-On Explorer Challenge. To enter, children should write an essay on how they “actively explore their world.” Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 15, and the trip is set for July 16 to 28. For more information, go online to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Explorer-trip-2008.

The List

The annual Mobile Travel Guide recently was released, and 41 lodgings, 17 restaurants and three spas were given five-star ratings. Here are the best lodgings in America, according to MobilTravelGuide.com:

- There is a street in Warsaw called Ulica Kubusia Puchatka -- or "Winnie the Pooh Street."

- Among the oddities at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium in Orlando, Fla., is a three-quarter-scale model of a 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost automobile -- made of matchsticks.

Travel Tip

Planning to take a cruise? Here are some tips from travelers posted on http://1000tips4trips.com:

- Avoid a cabin by the laundry: I just came back from a cruise and was grateful I didn't have a cabin near the laundry room. On some days of the cruise, people were lined up with their laundry down the hall, talking loudly outside other people's cabins and blocking their doors. Obviously, people should be considerate while waiting for their turn at the washers and dryers, but it was clear to me that one of the worst cabins on the cruise would be near the laundry. Remember to carefully study the map of the ship while selecting your cabin, and avoid those cabins that are near gathering places, like the laundry, stairs and elevators.

- Packing tips: When packing for a cruise, add extra metal coat hangers to your suitcase so that you will be able to hang much of your clothes. Also, purchase a child-size shoe hanger. I found one at the dollar store. You can hang this in the bathroom and put lots of little things in it such as toothpaste, hair brushes, mouthwash, etc. This will give you extra space in the bathroom as well as keeping things covered from the excess water that might come from the shower.